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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28528851">Gingerbread Mess</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PilindielTheElf/pseuds/PilindielTheElf'>PilindielTheElf</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>And so the Angels Sing [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, gingerbread, late Yuletide post</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 21:21:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,296</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28528851</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PilindielTheElf/pseuds/PilindielTheElf</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Jenny and Gilan try to make a gingerbread house.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jennifer "Jenny" Dalby/Gilan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>And so the Angels Sing [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2046692</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Gingerbread Mess</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Stop!” Jenny gasped. “If you keep eating, we’re not going to have enough!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gilan grinned sheepishly. He popped another sweet into his mouth, raising his hands when Jenny glared. “Okay! Okay!” he laughed. “This is my last one.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Narrowing her eyes, Jenny pressed her lips together. She glanced at the ladle that sat on the counter, looking between it and Gilan. “It better be,” she said, crossing her arms and turning to look out the window. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A light flurry of snow danced down from the sky, twirling like ballerinas as they drifted onto the white grass. It was the perfect weather for Yuletide. Cold enough to want to stay inside and cozy up next to the fire, but not too cold that you couldn’t have a snowball fight. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jenny smiled to herself. Each year, the holiday season managed to creep up on her. She never seemed to be ready, and it often led to last minute shopping and preparations. It was no different that year as just a few days ago, Jenny had gone out on a shopping spree to gather enough ingredients to keep her restaurant up and running. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But as she stared out at the white dancers, it finally occurred to her that it was Yuletide. It was the happiest time of the year with magical fun and lively parties. It was the time of year when friends and family came together to catch up. Not to mention the good food. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jenny’s eyes fluttered shut when the aroma of gingerbread wafted into her nose. She breathed it in, grinning when the wave of nostalgic memories crashed upon her. The smell of gingerbread was rich with spice and sweetness. Enough to make her mouth water. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was the smell of Yule. It was like a sweet kiss, an embrace that made you feel right at home. At the same time, it was unique enough to incite good fun. It made her want to run as if she was a child, energized her as if she was a cat with catnip. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The crinkling sound of a wrapper pushed Jenny out of her reverie. She spun on her heels. Her eyes went straight for the bowl of candy, silently counting, and then towards Gilan. She placed her hands on her hips when she noticed that his hands were behind his back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gilan!” she scolded. “I told you to stop!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gilan attempted a chuckle. He stepped towards Jenny, pulling her close to his chest. “Look,” he said, turning her around to face the window again. “It’s snowing! We could build a snowman later.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t you try to distract me!” Jenny said. She giggled as she untangled herself from Gilan. Grabbing the ladle, she turned to give him a good whack on the hand. “I’m not that easily swayed.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gilan grinned. He let go of Jenny, stepping back. He gestured at the oven. “I think the gingerbread is ready.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Huffing out a breath, Jenny grabbed her mittens. “I think so too,” she said, grinning as she pulled the oven open. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So we can build the house now?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jenny laughed as she set the tray down on the table. She shook her head. “Not yet,” she said. “It has to cool first.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Gilan placed a hand on his heart dramatically. “More waiting?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“More waiting.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Groaning, Gilan feigned a wound. He stumbled forward, resting his chin on Jenny’s shoulder. “How do you do this?” he said. “Doesn’t it get boring to wait for food to cook?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jenny snorted. “There’s a bit more to it than that.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah? Like what?” Gilan stood. “Eating?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Among other things.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t take long for the gingerbread to cool, and they were soon ready to decorate. Jenny grinned when she held up the walls, gesturing to the frosting with her head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on, Gil. I’ll hold up the walls, and you can stick them together.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They quickly got to work, glueing together the walls with frosting before decorating with the candies that Jenny had bought. Decorating had always been Jenny’s favorite part of cooking and baking. She loved making her dishes look pretty. Her customers all seemed to love it too, and it never failed to amuse her when they would have a hard time choosing between dishes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately, decorating was Gilan’s favorite part of making the gingerbread house too. It meant that he got to express his creativity, and although Jenny loved him for it, everything got a bit chaotic </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stay here,” Jenny said. “I’m going to go grab some more candy from the pantry.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wiping her hands on her apron, Jenny bounced towards her pantry. She quickly found the bag of candies she had bought just in case Gilan ate all of them, and when she returned back to the kitchen, her heart stopped. She gasped. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gilan!” she said. “What are you doing?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Making a campfire,” he said without looking up. His smile widened when the small fire he had made stayed flickering. “See? Look how cool that is!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re going to burn the gingerbread!” Jenny said. She rushed forward, dropping the candy on the table. She waved her hands, blowing at the fire to extinguish it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gilan rubbed at the back of his neck, intensely staring at the gingerbread house. The fire slowly died down, and Gilan winced when he realized that Jenny had been too late. He gulped and met her eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry?” he said. He yelped when Jenny gave him another good whack with her ladle, stepping back. He tried to laugh, nervously looking between the gingerbread and Jenny. The golden brown of the cookie was burnt near the edges, blackened into crisps. It crumbled, and the roof threatened to slide down onto the plate. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now, it’s just a burnt down house,” Jenny muttered. She crossed her arms, staring down at it in disappointment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gilan placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “No, no. It’s a…” He bit down on his lip, tilting his head to the side. He hummed to himself, his brain working double time. “It’s the cozy cabin of a poor family,” he finally settled with. “The couple that lives there has a young child, who loves Yuletide. They are in the process of decorating.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Gilan nodded. He cleared his throat. “The family is decorating with what little they have. Their home may be broken at some places with holes and leaks, but they manage to make due. They are thankful for what they have.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jenny looked down at the gingerbread house. She envisioned the family that Gilan was making up in her, painting an image in her head. A small smile appeared on her lips. “And how is this family doing?” she asked. “How are they coping with the damages their home has suffered?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It doesn’t bother them,” Gilan said. He smiled. “They will gladly face anything the world throws at them because they know they have each other. Their love is enough for them to be happy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It doesn’t matter whether or not they are rich or poor. It doesn’t matter that they have nothing when others have everything. They have the greatest gift of all—each other—and they need nothing more.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They’re the epitome of Yule, aren’t they?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gilan laughed. “Yes,” he said. “Yes, they are.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jenny sprinkled some sprinkles over the roof of the house. “Love really does bring the best out of people,” she mused to herself. “This family ought to live a better life than most.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nodding, Gilan agreed. He picked up the plate, moving the house aside. “True as that may be, you don’t have to be poor to have a good life.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you saying that you want to make another house?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No more fires though.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jenny chuckled. “Yes,” she said. “No more fires.” </span>
</p>
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